Christmas at the 4077th Cora O'Lanny series
by OkobojiOddOne
Summary: This is part of the 'Help From a Teenager' series and happens during Cora O'Lanny's first Christmas at the 4077th. a part that wasn't in The Youngest Army Nurse. I hope you enjoy and it will only make sense if you've read the other two stories! H/M also


_Author's Note: This story is in the "Help From a Teenager" series and in order to understand it, you might have to read "It Takes a Teenager to Tell" and the "Youngest Army Nurse". Enjoy!_

"**Christmas at the 4077****th****"**

**By: Corka**

Cora stood in the mess tent helping Father Mulcahy decorate the camp's tall Christmas tree. "Hey Father?"

"Yes Cora?" He hung a spare thermometer near the top.

"What's your real name?" The fourteen year old hung a few candy canes near the middle and started stringing popcorn around the entire tree.

"John Patrick Francis Mulcahy." He leaned around the tree and asked her, "How come?"

"It's just that when I call you Father, it kind of gets me depressed. Do you mind if I cal you…" she thought for a moment, "Johnny?"

"I understand, and you're more than welcome to call me that. Johnny's what my mom used to call me."

"Cool, well Johnny, how is it?" She stepped back and looked at the finished tree.

"I think it looks wonderful, except…" Father Mulcahy grabbed a box that was on the table. "We forgot the star."

"How did we forget that?" He handed it to her and she stood on the top of the nearest table to put it on.

"Now, it's perfect." Father Mulcahy put on his coat. "Well, I'm gonna go write the sermon for this Sunday."

"Okay, see you later Johnny!" Cora went to the chow line and got a cup of hot chocolate, took one sip and threw it away. "Yuck!" She put on her own coat (Margaret's old one that she had given her) on and walked outside. The air was cold and there was a fire going in on the trash barrels.

"Hey, Cora!" She turned to around to see BJ at the door of the Swamp.

"Yeah?"

"Come on in, we have a poker game going." BJ waved her in.

"I'll be right there, just let me go get my money." She ran to the nurses tent and grabbed the 10 dollars that were in her bag. Hawkeye was giving her 5 dollars every time he got a paycheck from the Army. She said he didn't have to, but no mater what she did, he made sure she got it.

"Hey Cora, grab a seat!" Sidney Freedman pulled the chair out beside him.

"Hi Sidney. Hey everyone. The tree's decorated now." She went and sat in the offered chair.

"That's great. Does it give off that wonderful Christmas cheer or that depression that can only come once a year?" Hawkeye chuckled and looked at his cards.

"That sure was nice of you to help decorate the tree, Cora." A very pregnant Margaret was beside her husband with cards in her hands and a lot of winnings in front of her.

"Well, it used to be a tradition at our house that my mom and I would decorate the tree every year. A year hasn't gone by that I haven't put a hundred ornaments on a tree." She looked at her cards when BJ asked how many she needed. "These will be just fine." In her hands were three kings and two tens. A full house.

**The Next Day**

"Hi Colonel, anyone waiting for this booth?" Cora sat down across from him.

"Hi Cora. I hear you won a lot of loot at the poker game last night." He laughed.

"I sure did. I know exactly what I'm going to do with it too."

"What's that?" Colonel Potter asked her.

"Well, the next time someone goes to Seoul, do you think it would be alright if I went with them?"

"Radar's going later today, you could go with him if you like."

"Do you think he would mind?"

"Radar? No he wouldn't mind at all." He laughed. "The last time he went to Seoul, he took his guinea pig. I think you would be better company that Babet."

"You think?" She said sarcastically. "Thanks, I'll talk to you later."

"See ya."

"Hey Radar!" Cora ran into his office.

"Yeah?" He looked up from his desk where he was just finishing the daily report.

"I heard you were going to Seoul for the day, and Colonel Potter said it would be alright if you had some company. If you want it."

"Sure. Who?"

"Radar." she looked at him surprised. "That would be me."

"Oh yeah, I kind of figured as much. That money burning a whole in your pocket?"

"Yes, yes it is." She smiled and said, "what do you think? Want some company?"

"Well, sure. That would be fun." After about three hours, they were back at the 4077th, and had had a lot of fun. Radar dropped Cora off at the nurses tent and helped her bring some of the stuff into the tent. She had a lot of it. Christmas was in two days, and she had bought a lot of presents for people. For each of the nurses, she got a candy bar. She knew it wasn't much, but she spent the rest of her money on presents for Hawkeye, Margaret, Radar, Klinger, Father Mulcahy, Colonel Potter, Charles and BJ.

**Christmas Eve**

"Merry Christmas Cora!" Hawkeye, BJ, and Charles came over with a wrapped package that was almost a foot long and a couple inches wide. Margaret and Colonel Potter came over behind them. Hawkeye and the package to Cora.

"What's this?" She was surprised when she was given the package.

"The only way you'll be able to find out, is if you open it." Margaret walked over to Hawkeye's waiting arms.

"That I can do." She started unwrapping the paper, and saw a black case. On the side it said _King Music_. She opened the case and her jaw dropped. Inside was a beautiful new flute. She lightly touched the keys. "Wow. I love it, but…I can't accept this. It's way to nice."

"Ah, but I think you can. We all pitched in and bought it for you." Charles told her. "You were telling me about how you used to have a lot of fun in the band in Milford, and how you played the flute. We thought that we would get you something that you would really like."

Colonel Potter handed Cora a few pieces of paper. "Maybe you would like some music to play?"

"Well, I guess that would come in handy." She smiled and put the flute together and brought the mouth piece up to play it, her fingers resting on the smooth keys. She played a B flat scale, something she hadn't done in awhile, yet her fingers went exactly where they were supposed to. It sounded beautiful. All that night, during the 4077th Christmas Eve Party, Cora played Christmas carols on the new flute and played with the orphans until about midnight when she slipped out of the mess tent door and went out to where Colonel Potter kept Sophie. He had told her that she could go out there whenever she wanted. "Hi Sophie." Cora buttoned her coat up a little more and climbed over the fence around her pen. She walked up to her and pat her nose. "Merry Christmas."

"Cora?" It was Colonel Potter.

"Colonel Potter. Sorry, I was just getting a little depressed is all so I though I would come out here and keep Sophie company."

"Oh, your fine. I can guess what your depressed about. Do you want to talk about it?" He walked over by her and put a hand on Sophie's neck.

"Well, it's just that every Christmas Eve, in Milford, everyone would gather at the _town square_, otherwise known as the town hall parking lot. There'd always be a tree that was at least 20 feet tall, covered with lights and decorations that the high school would put on it. Everyone would stand around it and sing Christmas carols and there would be sleigh rides and sled races. It was so much fun to be a kid there on Christmas. This is my first Christmas away from it that I can remember, and my family…" she sniffled as she tried to hold back tears.

"Why don't we go for a walk? What do you say?" Colonel Potter started out of Sophie's pen.

"Okay." She caught up to him and they got to talking more.

"So, what were your parents like?" He asked.

"They were the best…when they were around. They were always away though. I'd always stay at one of my friends houses, or when I got older, I'd stay home alone. My mom's hugs were the best. I would never go a day without one…" she started to cry a little harder. Colonel Potter kind of nudged her back to the mess tent with his arm around her shoulders and they walked back in. She had stopped crying and had a very good rest of the night.

**The Next Day: Christmas!**

On Christmas morning, Cora passed out the candy bars to the nurses and went to give the other people their presents. She put on her coat and at about 10:00 went to the people's tents. First she went to Hawkeye and Margaret's tent. "Merry Christmas!" She gave them both a hug when they answered the door.

"Merry Christmas Cora." Hawkeye told her when he had brought her into another hug. Colonel Potter had told him and Margaret about their talk the night before.

"I have presents for you guys." She pulled the packages out from inside her coat.

"You didn't have to get us anything." Margaret smiled.

"Sure I did." Cora handed her a box covered with red paper. Margaret opened it and pulled out the contents and laughed. "You'll have to wait awhile before you can use them, but I couldn't resist getting them for you." She had given her a Hawaiian shirt like Hawkeye's for her (it would fit after she had the baby) and a little on for the baby that also looked just like Hawkeye's. They all got a kick out of that. "And this one's for you Hawk." She handed him the other package.

"Alright, this is exactly what I needed!" He pulled out the contents of his package to show a bag of 12 pairs of socks and a new set of long johns.

"Well, I better get going to give the other people their presents." Cora got up to leave.

"We'll see you later Cora. And thanks." Margaret gave her a big hug.

"Yeah, thanks Cora." Hawkeye also gave her another hug. Then, Cora headed for Colonel Potter's office.

"Hey Radar! Merry Christmas!" Radar stood by the stove with a cup of hot chocolate in his hand.

"Hi Cora, Merry Christmas to you too!"

"I got this for you." Cora pulled out a hamster cage and hamster from behind her back.

"A hamster! Wow, that's Cora! Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?"

"No thanks, I have other presents to deliver. Enjoy your hamster though."

"Thanks again." Radar called as Cora went into Colonel Potter's office.

"Merry Christmas Colonel!" Cora had a bag in her hand and sat it on his desk.

"Well, Merry Christmas. What's this?" He asked, confused.

I guess you'll just have to open it to see." Colonel Potter opened the bag and pulled out a brand new saddle blanket. After seeing his face form a smile, Cora told him, "There's a little place in Seoul where you can get stuff like this personalized. That's how I got _World's Best Colonel_ on there."

"He was speechless and gave her a big hug. "That's damn nice of you Cora. Merry Christmas."

"You too." She left to go get another box from the nurses tent. She started heading to Father Mulcahy's tent. When Cora go there, she knocked. "Hey _Johnny_, it's me." She could hear him laugh a little before he opened the door.

"Merry Christmas Cora!"

"You too Father! I have something for you." She stepped inside when he waved her in.

"For me?" He asked.

"Yep. Well, actually it kind of helps you, it's not exactly _for_ you." She handed him a large box. Father Mulcahy opened the box and a smile grew on his face. "There's 35 blankets in there. You can give them to the orphanage."

Father Mulcahy actually had a tear in his eye. "Thank you Cora. God bless you."

"Your welcome, and thanks." She gave him a hug and headed out the door to make her last two gift deliveries. She gave a book called 'The Idiot's book for Poker' to BJ. (He needed work on his bluffing) Then to Major Winchester she gave a record with Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Finally, she gave Klinger three yards of hot pink silk and a pattern to make a long flowing ball gown. Everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Cora made sure of that. She played Christmas carols on her flute over the PA system with Charles on his new French horn (no one was really happy with his addition).

At dinner, the 4077th had an actual turkey and more presents were passed out to everyone. People got letters and cards from their families back home and Cora actually go to call one of her best friends, Sarah, on the phone and found out how everything back in Milford was. Cora decided that this was one of the best Christmases she had ever had.

**The End**


End file.
